Redbacks struggle to make runs against Bushrangers
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A new season, a new outlook and an excellent batting strip still left South Australia struggling for runs against Victoria in their Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval today.
At stumps on day two the Redbacks were 1 for 110, still 363 behind the Bushrangers' imposing first innings total of 6 for 473 (declared).
Tom Plant was on 48 and Michael Klinger 31, the SA pair totally tied down and unwilling to play shots against a handy, but hardly devastating Victorian attack.
After a string of poor returns in recent years, Redbacks captain Graham Manou said before this game that his side was looking to win back some respect this season.
But while there was no batting collapse today, the top order looked more intent on survival than seriously chasing down Victoria's hefty first inning tally.
South Australia took just over 47 overs to reach 100 and opener Dan Harris spent almost two hours in the middle and faced 80 balls to make just 18.
Plant's pedestrian-like innings took him more than three-and-a-half hours and 158 balls.
Klinger could be excused for his cautious approach, his 31 coming off 101 balls in almost two hours, with the 28-year-old playing his first match for SA against his former side after moving to Adelaide in the off-season.
But it all added up to a less than positive response from the Redbacks in the first four-day contest of the summer.
Victoria captain David Hussey was diplomatic on SA's approach to the game.
"They're playing pretty well, keeping the contest open," he said.
"It's going to be just hard work tomorrow, our bowlers are going to have to put in the hard yards and hopefully we can bowl them out and set them a target on the last day."
Resuming at 3 for 352 this morning the Bushrangers lost two early wickets with Hussey unable to add to his overnight score of 8 and Brad Hodge adding just 4 before he was also on his way for 104.
Hussey was Shaun Tait's first wicket of the match, the SA strike bowler making his first-class return this week after a self-imposed exile from all cricket late last summer because of exhaustion.
Tait also grabbed the wicket of Matt Wade for 8 to finish the innings with 2 for 102, a reasonable effort on a good batting strip but hardly the inspiring performance the Redbacks would have been hoping for.
Paul Rofe finished with the best figures of the SA attack and was probably the pick of the bowlers, his 3 for 80 coming from 27 overs and including the wickets of century makers Hodge, Jewell and opener Chris Rogers.
- AAP
